Glossary
An enzyme produced by honey bees' hypopharyngeal glands and added to nectar during honey production. Glucose oxidase catalyzes the conversion of glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, providing honey with its acidic pH and primary antimicrobial defense.
Glucose oxidase is arguably the most important enzyme in honey from a health perspective. Produced by the worker bee's hypopharyngeal glands and added to nectar during collection and processing, this enzyme catalyzes a specific chemical reaction: it converts glucose (one of honey's two primary sugars) into gluconic acid (which gives honey its acidic pH of 3.2 to 4.5) and hydrogen peroxide (which provides honey's primary antimicrobial defense).
In concentrated honey, glucose oxidase is largely inactive because the low water activity suppresses enzymatic reactions. When honey is diluted, either by application to a wound (where it absorbs wound fluid) or by adding water (as in a tea), glucose oxidase activates and begins producing hydrogen peroxide continuously. This sustained, low-level hydrogen peroxide production is far more effective than a single application of medical H2O2 because it maintains antimicrobial activity over an extended period without the tissue-damaging concentrations of pharmacy-grade peroxide.
Glucose oxidase is heat-sensitive. Pasteurization (heating honey to 161 degrees Fahrenheit) destroys the enzyme, eliminating the honey's ability to produce hydrogen peroxide upon dilution. This is one of the most significant differences between raw and processed honey. Raw honey retains active glucose oxidase. Pasteurized honey does not. The antimicrobial capacity of raw honey is therefore inherently greater than that of heat-processed honey.
All raw, unprocessed honey from honey bees contains glucose oxidase because it is added by the bees during nectar processing. Pasteurized honey has had its glucose oxidase destroyed by heat. Honey from other bee species (stingless bees, for example) may have different enzyme profiles.
No. The hydrogen peroxide produced by glucose oxidase in diluted honey is at very low concentrations (roughly 1,000 times lower than pharmacy-grade 3% H2O2). This is enough to inhibit bacterial growth but not enough to damage healthy tissue. It is an ideal antiseptic concentration for wound application.
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